Military and Veterans Discount Center (MVDC)

Continuing the theme of the week, here is another resource for military and veterans to check out if you are looking for a discount or deal, both for Veterans Day and in general. Military and Veterans Discount Center (MVDC), according to its “About Us” page, was started by Navy Veteran, Terrence Thomas, and Marine Corps Veteran, Ted Gizewski, who met when Terrence’s original website, GI Bill Express, was acquired by Military.com, where Ted worked.

MVDC is a database of deals that is overflowing with ways to find the one you’re looking for. You can search by category, such as Automotive, Retail, and Home and Garden, and zip code or through the “search by” links at the top of the page that allow you to search commonly looked at categories, such as Veterans Day deals, travel, and “most popular.” A ticker at the bottom of the home page also scrolls through the details of the most recently added discounts. You can also click the “daily deals” tab at the top or enter your zip code into the “daily deals” section on the right hand side to find current deals, though these aren’t necessarily discounts limited to military members and veterans.

Clicking on a deal asks you to sign up (though you can get around this by clicking on the bypass link at the bottom of that window) for an account. Sign up is free. You can create a basic account or you can verify your military service through TroopID and get access to online deals for servicemembers and veterans.

TroopID is a secure online source that verifies your veteran status (also open to active duty and family members) and then allows you special access to discounts and deals. Verifying is simple and can be done using your USAA info if you’re a member, your .mil e-mail, entering details from your military service record, uploading military documents, or giving the site permission to request your DD-214. Once you’ve been verified, you can check out the “partners” tab on Troop ID’s page to find even more companies that are giving discounts to people in your verified group.

You can earn points on MVDC for referring people to the website. You will also be able to earn points by using the mobile app to: redeem offers, add discounts, downloading coupons, and referring friends. These points accumulate and 1,000 points earns you a $10 gift card at local restaurants and retailers.

For regular updates, you can log in to their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryAndVeteransDiscounts or download their free app through the Google Play or Apple stores. (One caution, though. Please read the fine print on the apps before downloading to be sure you are comfortable with the access it is giving to your phone – the ability to make calls without my consent was a deterrent for me.)

And a few additional discounts and deals to wrap up the week:

Don’t forget the $150 discount Semper Sarah is giving for veterans who are interested in attending her Yoga & Adventure Retreat in Jan, 2014.  http://www.sempersarah.com/retreat/ Here’s a nice photo she sent me showing where the yoga will happen (gorgeous, isn’t it?).

And, if you ate a little too much Halloween candy and are looking for a new, healthier way to drop that extra way, here’s a new deal, this one is being offered by a former NCO of mine.

Also, Blackside Concepts, which I mentioned in the post on the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp For Veterans with Disabilities. and run by former Ranger Marty Skovlund Jr, is offering 15% off everything through Monday if you use the code “Veterans 15.” http://shop.blacksideconcepts.com/

Finally, I got this note from Vet Tix and thought I would pass it on, in case anyone was considering signing up: “For a limited time we are awarding double the referral coins when you get a friend to sign up for VetTix.org! That’s right, they get 30 Virtual VetTix Coins and you get 30 Virtual VetTix Coins for EACH person you get signed up before Veterans Day!”

 

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